From 2017 onwards, NEET is the Single National Medical Entrance exam for admission to all Medical and Para-medical courses in the 450+ Medical colleges in India. Thus, admission for MBBS, BAMS, BHMS, BDS, B.Pth. etc. courses is on the basis of NEET exam. Only AIIMS and JIPMER Pondicherry are exempted from NEET and conduct their own Entrance exams.

The syllabus of NEET is the combined Std.11 & 12 NCERT syllabus in Biology, Physics and Chemistry. The NEET exam is conducted for 3 hours and has 180 questions of which 90 questions are in Biology and 45 each in Physics and Chemistry. NEET has Multiple choice questions with 4 options and only one correct answer. Each correct answer fetches 4 marks and an incorrect answer attracts negative marking with 1 mark deduction. Thus, the NEET exam is out of 720 marks.

About 12 lac students appear for NEET every year across India. A score of 450+ marks in usually sufficient to secure admission in MBBS courses in Govt. Medical colleges for OPEN category students. A score of about 150 marks is sufficient to qualify NEET and be eligible for admission for paramedical courses.